New café opens doors of missional opportunity in Hornsby
BY LAUREN MARTIN
A one-day-a-week missional café initiative at Hornsby Salvos in Sydney is providing opportunities to connect with people, service and faith.
Norwest Hornsby Gateway Corps is located just off the main street in one of the most northern suburbs of Sydney. It’s a busy site, with a bustling Family Store and an Employment Plus office.
Corps Officers Captains Lydia Hong and Sean Li said they wanted to create a space where regular shoppers at the store could relax, chat and engage with The Salvation Army’s mission of loving God and loving others.
“We were inspired by the Auburn Corps café that serves the community by offering low-cost coffee and meals,” said Lydia. “After the [COVID-19] pandemic, we really felt the need for not a free meal, but a low-cost meal where people can feel safe to come together.”
The corps also received inspiration and support from the Shire Salvos café (‘The Village’) in Panania, south of Sydney, which had just recently opened.
“Natalie, the manager, spent the whole morning with me and gave me many logistic ideas; she was great,” said Lydia.
Nuria Gonsalves, a member of the Northwest Hornsby Gateway Corps who works for The Salvation Army’s Intercultural and Disability Inclusion Team, was excited to participate in the initiative.
“There is a high population of Indians, Chinese, Iranian, Nepalese as well as English speakers in the area,” she said. “There was no one to cook Indian food, so I said I would volunteer a few days.”
The Gateway Café launched on 10 May 2024 and quickly gained popularity, despite the corps doing no advertising.
“It’s just word of mouth,” said Lydia. “Our Family Store is a very big destination shop in the local area. About 200 people visit us every day to shop or donate. So, we have a pretty sustainable customer base.”
The café serves low-cost food from different cultures, including $2 coffees and a variety of cakes. A local bakery donates bread, which is given away for free.
During its pilot stage, Lydia said 80 per cent of customers came from the social housing accommodation near the corps, and 90 per cent had a culturally or linguistically diverse (CALD) background.
One of them, volunteer barista Vitaliy Noskov, encountered the Salvos when he came to Australia after fleeing Ukraine when war broke out in his country in 2022. He says The Salvation Army has assisted him tremendously.
“When we arrived in Sydney on 11 May 2022, after one month, a young lady, Lydia [Captain Lydia Hong], connected to us. I don’t know how. She called and started to support us with some furniture and some food.
“So, every week, she would bring it to us, a lot of food and fresh food and some veggies and she invited me to go to the church every Sunday. This was actually a very hard time for me. At the time, I felt unwell and a lot of depression and sadness.”
A few months after arriving in Sydney, Vitaliy found out he had serious medical issues and needed surgery. Lydia and Sean supported him while he was at Westmead Hospital, visiting and praying.
“The whole church prayed for me,” said Vitaliy. “I was very nervous. They sent many, many letters to hospital. I had a lot of support.”
After he recovered, Vitaliy wanted to “give back” to the organisation that had assisted him so much. He completed a skills course at TAFE, and then The Salvation Army funded him to do a barista course. When The Gateway Café opened, Vitaliy was ready to serve coffee on the machine. He says he loves his role as a barista at the café, which is a warm, friendly place to work and serve.
“I feel good; I have a passion to help people,” he said. “The Salvation Army for me gave me hope, belief and real support. I’m blessed!”
On any given Friday at The Gateway Café, you can find groups of people chatting, some members of the public and some corps members, like retired Salvation Army officer Pam Webster.
Employees at The Salvation Army’s Employment Plus often meet clients at the café to have job-coaching chats in a less structured environment. An EPlus Disability Employment Service representative also attends the café once a fortnight to provide information for those who enquire or have barriers to employment and want to know more about the service.
“The café is a very organic faith pathway,” said Lydia. “We have seen God bringing people to church. Four people have come to church, and they were connected through The Gateway Café. We just have one-on-one intentional chats about life.”
While some café volunteers and customers have been drawn to church, others have been drawn to service. Lydia said that in August, the Salvation Army Emergency Services (SAES) team had planned a Saturday training day at the corps. On the Friday before, she talked about it with some of the customers. They appeared interested, so she invited them along.
“Five people came [to the SAES training], and four of them decided to register!" she said.
Other connections are starting to happen. Employment Plus introduced the corps to the Australian Seniors Computer Club Association, which was looking for a space. Late in 2024, the corps opened its indoor area to the club and hosted a morning tea from the café for them.
“God is moving and drawing people,” said Lydia. “It’s exciting!”
